No. 13 Texas Tech won its first game in Manhattan, Kan., since 2008 Saturday to improve to 8-1 and retain its Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff hopes.
The Red Raiders were shut out in the first quarter but muscled a 43-20 victory over Kansas State behind a second-quarter revitalization, which bled into each of the remaining quarters. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led that charge with a forced fumble inside Kansas State's 20-yard line, down 7-3.
The drive that followed ended in a touchdown for Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders didn't surrender the lead again.
Both quarterback Behren Morton and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. returned from injury for the Red Raiders in the victory and contributed an average of 20.3 yards per connection.
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Texas Tech's victory puts it in the driver's seat of its own destiny with the guarantee of a Big 12 Championship bid if it wins out.
College Gameday headed to Lubbock?
ESPN's Rece Davis hinted at the return of College Gameday's show to Texas Tech's campus on Wednesday during an airing. Texas Tech associate athletics director Robert Giovannetti said nothing is official. Still, Texas Tech is operating under the impression that the crew will be in Lubbock for No. 13 Texas Tech vs No. 10 BYU.
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This would be the first appearance on College Gameday for Lubbock since 2008, when No. 1 Texas faced No. 7 Texas Tech.
The Cougars are undefeated and the current conference leaders, just ahead of Cincinnati and Texas Tech. The winner of the game will have Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff implications. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN.
AdvertisementFourth-quarter defensive stand ends Saturday with revenge
Texas Tech's offense failed to score in the final period up until the 2:54 mark, and Kansas State had drawn within nine points, but the Red Raiders forced four consecutive turnovers to put the game to bed.
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At 7:16 remaining in the game, the Red Raiders got a fourth-down sack. Then, at 6:07 remaining, linebacker John Curry broke up what would've been a first-down catch to tight end Garrett Oakley. Curry later scooped and scored a Romello Height strip sack with 4:52 remaining before linebacker Ben Robert put the nail in the coffin with an interception at 4:28.
The final turnover led to a 19-yard touchdown reception for wide receiver Caleb Douglas.
Jacob Rodriguez is a legit Heisman candidate
Two of Texas Tech's touchdowns came directly from the fifth-year linebackers' punchout ability. Rodriguez forced two fumbles Saturday to add to his nation-leading seven forced fumbles. He has forced nine total turnovers in 2025.
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Rodriguez read the Wildcats' slant route in the second quarter and punched out the ball from wide receiver Jayce Brown at the Kansas State 19-yard line. The play led to Texas Tech's first touchdown.
He repeated the feat to start the second half when he punched the ball out of Oakley's grasp. Safety Cole Wisniewski recovered the ball at midfield, and Texas Tech scored a 41-yard rushing touchdown three plays after.
Behren Morton is shaking the rust off
Saturday was Morton's first game back under center since leaving the game on Oct. 11 against Kansas. He finished with 249 yards and two touchdowns.
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The afternoon started ugly for him with four consecutive empty drives, including an interception, but he found his stride when he opened up the deep ball. A 42-yard over-the-shoulder pass to wide receiver Reggie Virgil led to two more 25-plus-yard passes on the ensuing drive.
The vertical game only grew over the final periods as Texas Tech slowly pulled away with 17-point and 14-point third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Texas Tech's first-quarter offense is gone
In six of Texas Tech's eight games before Saturday, it scored at least twice in the opening quarter. The Red Raiders punted twice, threw an interception and were turned over on downs in their four drives to start Saturday's game. It's the second game of the season, Texas Tech was held scoreless in the opening quarter. The other one was in a 26-22 loss to Arizona State.
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The Red Raiders had an efficient 6-play, 34-yard drive going until Morton attempted a screen play underneath the heart of the line of scrimmage. It was bobbled and then intercepted by Kansas State linebacker Austin Romaine. Texas Tech's Brice Pollock snagged an interception on the immediate play after, but Texas Tech stalled out in five plays.
Texas Tech's third drive hit a stone wall after it called an inside zone run play on 3rd & 5. Running back Cameron Dickey got one yard on the play. The Red Raiders attempted to throw on fourth down, but Morton was sacked for a loss of 14 yards.
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